Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged

On Display

W.O. Bentley built his first sports car, a 3 litre, in 1919. The successor to this early model was the 4½ Litre which was developed in to the famous supercharged, or Blower, model. Bentley himself disapproved of supercharging and the blown cars were largely developed by Bentley racing driver Sir Henry Birkin. The supercharged version did not have a particularly successful competition record, although un-blown Bentleys had won the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 1924, 1927, 1928 and 1929, however, but it did make a fine road car.

The supercharger used on the Bentley was the design of engineer Amherst Villiers who was a great personal friend of author Ian Fleming. Perhaps that is why in Fleming’s original novels Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker James Bond drove a battleship grey 4½ Litre Blower Bentley.